What are you listening to now?

[Que]

Exactly as you say Harry, a notch above the good Naxos recordings.

These dropped down in the mailbox an hour ago from amazon.ca:

[asin]B00I102C7U[/asin]

Very well timed for Easter after being backlogged for a couple of months!

Mouth watering....

Q

[North Star]

Bach
Chorale Preludes
Foccroulle

[Marc]

Bach
Chorale Preludes
Foccroulle

YEAH!

[HIPster]

A first listen to this Frescobaldi:
[asin]B00000E6W8[/asin]

First impressions are quite favorable! 

[North Star]

YEAH!

I'm surprised by this reaction, as I know you don't usually go for this kind of thing, Marc.  0:)

[listener]

MENDELSSOHN:  Athalia  incidental music op. 74
Chorus Musicus Köln    Das Neue Orchester   Christoph Spering, cond.
DUTILLEUX:  Tout un monde lontaine (*),  Symphony no.1  Timbre, Espaces, Mouvement ou "La Nuite Étoilée"
Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra   Hans Graf, cond.
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello (*)

[kishnevi]

bought their Beethoven SQ cycle a few weeks back and have really liked it

[Re: Alexander Quartet]
Which one--the first one now on Arte Nova, or the relatively recent one released on........sorry, my mind is drawing a blank on which label it is on? [ETA: went looking.  Foghorn Classics, and reissued in 2010 in as three smaller sets (Early, Middle, Late Qs) with similar cover format to the recording Brian showed)]
I have the Arte Nova, and while I would have no hesitation suggesting it to someone looking for a nice inexpensive (if the price is about what I paid for it--haven't checked to see current pricing) option, it's not the first set I would reach for to listen myself. [ETA: about $35 including shipping on Amazon Marketplace.]
[asin]B000GETWHM[/asin]

Speaking of Beethoven,  I'm listening to some very good conducting on the part of Sir Thomas Beecham:  Symphonies 2 and 7, and now the Mass in C,  to be followed by the Ruins of Athens all with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, from one of EMI's Beecham boxes.  Recorded in the late 1950s, so the sound is a little dated, but not enough to detract from enjoying the performances.   And the Amazon Marketplace price might qualify this as a SDCB candidate.
[asin]B004H1AXRI[/asin]

Further ETA:  as I listen to Ruins of Athens,  I realized I've probably never heard this in full, only the overture and Turkish March.   Beecham's chorus, btw,  sings English texts, so can anyone suggest an original language (ie, German) performance?

[Lisztianwagner]

Charles Ives
'Robert Browning' Overture

https://www.youtube.com/v/byop1qqmXlY

[Tom 1960]

[Moonfish]

Kapsberger: La Villanella       L'Arpeggiata/Pluhar

Lovely music-making!

[asin] B0002J58RY[/asin]

[amw]

[Re: Alexander Quartet]
Which one--the first one now on Arte Nova, or the relatively recent one released on........sorry, my mind is drawing a blank on which label it is on? [ETA: went looking.  Foghorn Classics, and reissued in 2010 in as three smaller sets (Early, Middle, Late Qs) with similar cover format to the recording Brian showed)]
I have the Arte Nova, and while I would have no hesitation suggesting it to someone looking for a nice inexpensive (if the price is about what I paid for it--haven't checked to see current pricing) option, it's not the first set I would reach for to listen myself.

Speaking of Beethoven quartets—I thought we had a thread for those, but I can't be bothered to look for it right now—my library has the Végh Quartet (Naïve), which has apparently been quite well regarded. I've been considering checking it out but don't really know what to expect.

[kishnevi]

Speaking of Beethoven quartets—I thought we had a thread for those, but I can't be bothered to look for it right now—my library has the Végh Quartet (Naïve), which has apparently been quite well regarded. I've been considering checking it out but don't really know what to expect.

Have it.  Not sure it's up to the level some GMG'ers seem to think it has,  but certainly it's not a second rate performance.  It's worth buying, therefore a fortiori it's worth checking out of the library.

My preferences at the moment are for Quartetto Italiano, Takacs, and Artemis Quartet,  if that puts it in perspective.

Thread duty:
Oliver Holzenburg playing Bach's music for lute,  as found in the Hanssler complete Bach box.

[amw]

Have it.  Not sure it's up to the level some GMG'ers seem to think it has,  but certainly it's not a second rate performance.  It's worth buying, therefore a fortiori it's worth checking out of the library.

Fair enough. They have several other complete sets as well (Hungarian on LPs; Smetana, ABQ, Lindsay & Budapest 1951 on CD) but mid-semester break isn't so long I can afford to spend lots of time listening to Beethoven quartets so I thought I'd start with just one.

My preferences at the moment are for Quartetto Italiano, Takacs, and Artemis Quartet,  if that puts it in perspective.

Not particularly, as the only Beethoven quartets I've heard are Endellions, Lindsays, Juilliards, Budapest (1958) and ABQ, and none of them as a complete cycle either. >.> I do quite like some other things the Takacs has done though, such as their Bartók which is essential, so I'll bear the recommendation in mind.

[kishnevi]

Fair enough. They have several other complete sets as well (Hungarian on LPs; Smetana, ABQ, Lindsay & Budapest 1951 on CD) but mid-semester break isn't so long I can afford to spend lots of time listening to Beethoven quartets so I thought I'd start with just one.

Not particularly, as the only Beethoven quartets I've heard are Endellions, Lindsays, Juilliards, Budapest (1958) and ABQ, and none of them as a complete cycle either. >.> I do quite like some other things the Takacs has done though, such as their Bartók which is essential, so I'll bear the recommendation in mind.

The Endellions are the ones who, if pressed, might push the Artemis to fourth place with me.   Of the various others you mention,  I've only heard the ABQ, and I think the Vegh beats them handily.

[Todd]

Speaking of Beethoven quartets—I thought we had a thread for those, but I can't be bothered to look for it right now—my library has the Végh Quartet (Naïve), which has apparently been quite well regarded. I've been considering checking it out but don't really know what to expect.

I must disagree with Mr Smith here, but only in degree.  To me, the Vegh is one of the greatest cycles, up there with the Budapest mono (ie, 51) and the Prazak.  There are occasional intonation issues with Sandor Vegh, and the tempos are sometimes ever so slightly on the broad side, but overall everything sounds so right.  A friend of mine who plays viola and double bass who had listened to the Emerson cycle primarily for years said after hearing the Vegh that she had never heard quartet playing that sounds so "natural".

Fair enough. They have several other complete sets as well (Hungarian on LPs; Smetana, ABQ, Lindsay & Budapest 1951 on CD) but mid-semester break isn't so long I can afford to spend lots of time listening to Beethoven quartets so I thought I'd start with just one.

From this group, I'd say the Budapest, the mono era champs.

[Todd]

[Ken B]

CPE Bach, Piano Sanata in H2O, "Moonfish", Markovina

[HIPster]

Kapsberger: La Villanella       L'Arpeggiata/Pluhar

Lovely music-making!

[asin] B0002J58RY[/asin]

That's a fine disc, Moonfish!

I saw you grabbed the L'Arpeggiata box in the 'Today's Purchase' thread.  That's a really nice set.

[Mookalafalas]

Giulini--London years disc 16--Falla, "El Sombrero de tres Picos", Stravinsky, "L'oiseau de feu- Suite" and Britten "Four Sea Interludes" and "THe Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra".  All really wonderful.  I go the whole 17 disc box for $25 or something. Insanely good deal.

[Moonfish]

That's a fine disc, Moonfish!

I saw you grabbed the L'Arpeggiata box in the 'Today's Purchase' thread.  That's a really nice set.

HIPster,

Yes, I watched some clips on YouTube with L'Arpeggiata and I was hooked.      They would be great to hear in concert!
I really enjoyed this album and look forward to the rest in the set. I take it that you are a fan of L'Arpeggiata?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rehipOrlb5g